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Planetside 2 deobfuscations

Planetside 2 has quite a learning curve and does almost no system explanation, so I thought we could use a thread for facts, tips, tricks, issues, and so on that were learned the hard way or researched.

The first time logging in with a new character, prepare to be spawned directly into a hot-zone against your better judgement while being lectured to. This is a bit stupid, and very dangerous, so do be more careful. Using the instant action redeployment is basically the same thing, minus the lecture, but you can pick your destination.

You're allowed 3 characters maximum across all servers and can play for only one faction on each server. Character names must be unique.

Weapon certification costs are insane and the system is designed so it's effectively impossible to unlock everything. Sony desperately wants you to spend cash on weapons or buy monthly memberships or boosts. Things you pay cash for are not unlocked globally, only on that specific character! There is no transferring characters between servers.

You get 1 cert per 250xp, and some passive income when offline (Edit x2: up to 8 per day per character, but you have to log in). Loadout slots are unlocked at Battle Rank's 5 and 15. You need to equip suit and vehicle weapon upgrades to your loadouts. Grenades cost infantry resource points and must be purchased in the loadout config. There are lots of 1 and 10 point certs you can pick up right away for the class perks and vehicle weapons.

You can get a free 1/2 hour trial of any weapon, once every 8 hours, by going to the class loadout, weapon select, "get more" button, pick a gun, unlock, select trial, and finally equip it to a loadout. You cannot re-trial the same weapon for 30 days. A trial is lost if the server restarts, but the cooldown timers still apply.

Learn the map icons and control points -> influence -> capture system. This guide to the basics is handy, but also dated (the resources section is inaccurate). Things like teleporters can be captured, shield generators disabled, and terminals hacked. These are important for big base assaults.

The deployment menu does not show influence levels or vehicle spawner locations, so use the big map for intelligence before heading out. If you can't spawn with your squad, make sure you're on the right continent. The minimap is hard to read, but you can zoom it, and red dots will appear where enemies are spotted or noisy.

The MAX suit can only be equipped from an infantry terminal, and not from the deployment menu. There is a free right-handed Anti-Air cannon for the MAX, so equip a second loadout with this.

There are no other free AA weapons available at the start besides the MAX one, but some bases have AA turrets you can use. Flying a fighter is useful once you learn the controls, and it helps to be an engineer (to repair it) or a Light Assault (to jetpack safely if you have to bail).

The default enter/exit key "E" can be re-bound on air vehicles so you don't accidentally jump and plummet to your death while trying to dogfight.

Friendly fire is always on, and friendly ID popups are sometimes slow, so pay attention to model appearances and use the spotting key (Q by default).

Spawning a vehicle will force it to self-drive off the pad, and FF roadkills will happen as a result. Please be tolerant if this happens to you. Destroying my tank and killing me for spite does not help. Don't walk in front of vehicle spawners when someone is at the terminal.

Headshots are double damage. The knife takes 2-3 hits to kill, but may be more lethal from behind. I don't know if knife hits to the head are better. Tanks are vulnerable to side hits, and especially vulnerable to the rear.

The Light Assault's jetpack will break if you die while holding the jump/fly button. The only fix is to logout.

You must invite a player in order to form a new squad and can't start one solo.

General class tips from someone who never played the first or the beta, but has been kicking 4.3 kinds of arse mainly as an NC Infiltrator for the last week or so:

Light Assault: You'll probably start as one of these, so you might think they're the general purpose grunt/riflemen/assaulters. This isn't quite true. They're lightly shielded (all infantry units have shields that recharge if you stop taking damage for a few seconds - some longer than others) and more fragile than just about any other class. However, they're fast and their shields recover quickly, and more importantly, they're armed with a jetpack and rapid-fire assault rifle, which you might be better off thinking of as a submachine gun.

They're best used to surprise, outmaneouvre, flank and harass the enemy. Leap in, drill a soldier or two, then be gone again before they know what hit them. This is particularly true if you're Terran, as they have a tonne of ammo and spray bullets quickly, but do little damage, so if your target doesn't die or run away, be ready to pull out. Don't get drawn into a stand-up fight if you can avoid it. Surprise is your best friend. Use the jetpack whenever you can see something within reach.

Heavy Assault: You're well shielded and your special power adds another, temporary shield that can absorb an extra shot or two, but depletes the whole time it's active. You're also well armed with a machine gun and rocket launcher. You're best at suppressing enemy infantry and destroying vehicles - no other class can hope to take out a vehicle, but you can. If there's a vehicle prowling, killing it should almost always be your priority. Hit them from behind to do the most damage - it'll take at least three rockets to kill most things, although you can use your machine gun to finish off mini turrets and buggies.

Don't forget your shield power. Getting used to using it takes a while, but the important thing is to remember that this isn't TF2 and it isn't an ubercharge - it's enough to give you a slight edge, not make you bulletproof. Get in close where possible - you're not very good at long range fighting. Also your shields take a lot longer to charge than others', so you should always have backup to cover your retreat.

Combat Medic: The class names are all very appropriate. You're not just a medic. The emphasis here is on the "combat" part. You have a decent assault rifle that's particularly good at medium range combat, and can hold your own in a fight. You also have a medigun thing that's a lot like the TF2 one - aim it at a nearby friendly and hold fire, and you'll heal them. You can't give them any more than 100% health, so once they're patched up, switch back to your rifle and help them out. You can also resurrect the recently killed - heal their corpse and after a few seconds they'll jump back up (if they want to), though their health and shields will still be low, so don't do this unless it's safe, or you'll just annoy them and probably die yourself.

Your special power is what I like to call the "jesus bomb". Activate it and it'll heal you and everyone around you for several seconds, which is a pretty devastating move if timed well. Takes ages to charge, so use it wisely. Stay near friendlies and never be shy to join the fray, particularly if your jesus bomb is charged - you can always use that in an emergency if you take a few hits. Note that people need to stay quite still to be healed, and the medigun has a very short range, so you'll often find some idiot running around screaming for a medic while you're desperately trying to catch up with him. Try not to shoot them, even though they kind of deserve it.

Watch out for snipers. We know how much stronger you make the enemy, and will kill you first if we get a shot. Well, maybe after the engineers.

Engineer: I haven't played with these much, as I'm not interested in vehicles, and they're at their best when supporting tanks and APCs. They have a medigun that only works on vehicles, making them vital to tank assaults and protecting the APC spawn points. They can also carry mines, but I've not used these and am not sure if they need to be unlocked, as I've yet to see one be used.

You also have an ammo pack that you can deploy on the ground. This will rearm friendly infantry within a small radius, and can make a big difference in assaults (the only other ways to rearm are to run off to a friendly station, which could be miles away, or die, which is often easier).

Finally you can place a small turret, which has (I think) a 180 degree facing in both x and y dimensions, unlimited ammo (but can overheat), and a shield that will protect you from most frontal attacks. These can take tremendous punishment, and a well placed turret can stall dozens of enemies. You're vulnerable to a good sniper, though, and attacks from behind.

Engineers have unremarkable assault rifles, but can fight well if attacked. They're probably the most defensive class out there and should be at the back repairing and rearming everyone, or holding the line with a turret and an ammo pack nearby for everyone to regroup at.

Again, watch out for snipers. You're a valuable target, especially if your team is on the offensive.

MAX: These are the hulking armoured mech guys. You will remember well the first time you run into a room and see a New Conglomerate mech ten feet in front of you - I'd played for ages before this happened to me, and I still froze like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a tank. They're slow, and have no shield, but they have tonnes of health and powerful weapons. Default weaponsa re a chaingun for eating infantry and a cannon for vehicles, but you can also load up a flak gun that's the only way for infantry to reliably harm aircraft, and there are probably loads of unlockables for these.

You can't spawn as one of these - you have to find a weapons terminal (the pistol icon you will see at some bases), and they cost 100 resources (these recharge over time, depending on how well your side is doing, so don't be shy to spend them) a pop. Medics can't heal you, but they can resurrect you, and engineers can repair you. You are vastly more effective with this backup, but a MAX is a tough, scary opponent and will win any one-on-one fight. Watch out for enemy heavies. Snipers can be a problem for you too, but you can still take a solid pounding from a good sniper and keep coming.

Your special power allows you to charge forward short distances. Use it to get across a corridor, flee, or surprise attack a group of infantry. You're best used to break through defences, scare off lightly armed opponents, and help deal with light tanks or aircraft.

Watch out for heavy infantry.

Infiltrator: You're a Predator. You have a cloaking device and a sniper rifle that's either semi automatic with a large clip (Terrans and Vanu), or bolt action with a small clip (NC). You also have a motion sensor thing that you can fire into a wall and it apparently warns you if someone's sneaking up on you, but I've yet to use it, because that's for a camping sniper tactic, which is the most boring and in my opinion least useful way to play.

Your cloak last for about 12 seconds and recharges quickly when not in use. Note that you're not totally invisible, and instead have a Predator-like shimmer, which can give you away even at long range. Also, your shield doesn't recharge when you're cloaked, so always have somewhere to hide. You can also hack enemy terminals by standing in front of them and holding E. This allows your team to use them temporarily, so you can use an enemy vehicle point to spawn a tank in their own outpost, take control of an enemy base turret, or simply take over a weapon terminal so you can rearm.

Don't get caught up in the boring generic FPS sniper routine. That's a waste of your abilities, and of the enormous, busy, open world you're fighting in. Your place isn't behind the main assault - it's wherever you want. Your defining equipment isn't the sniper rifle; it's the cloak. Don't underestimate your pistol - I've killed plenty of people with mine. Surprise the enemy. Always use your cloak. Never be where they think you are. Let them see you retreat, then cloak and immediately double back to ambush them again. Leave a lone soldier seriously injured and running 100m back to base for a heal. By the time he's healed and come back, you'll be somewhere else and can just do it again, or kill the medic he found instead. Watch and follow damaged vehicles - they might lead you to the engineer who's keeping the enemy fleet moving. Ambush reinforcements coming into the main battle.

Don't always try to kill everyone - if you only hit one guy, but the whole convoy is out looking for you instead of attacking your base, that's a job well done. When they give up looking, take another shot and repeat. Always be cloaked. Always be in cover. Stay in the dark. Move unpredictably. Protect your friends. Take advantage whenever the enemy are distracted, either to slip by or finish them off. Don't underestimate the range of enemy troops. Even a light assaulter can take your head off at long range if he keeps his cool. Once you're spotted, bug out and come back somewhere else. Stand-up fights aren't your thing. Oh god, I love this game far too much. It's the last place I expected to find the best sniper sim ever, but there it is.

Hit enemy medics and engineers as a priority, though you may want to take out the enemy infiltrators first. Choose your moment, though - wait until the enemy vehicles are damaged to kill the engineer, so it'll hurt more. Always be spotting everything you see (look at an enemy and press Q), unless there are enemy close by who will overhear you (I've caught several spotters by surprise this way).

Watch out for light assaulters. They're hard to hit and can use their jetpacks to flank you.

A few things i'd like to add. If you buy a gun, you need to relog before it shows up. Do not buy it again. ^^
There is an automatic rifle for the infiltrator, at least the Vanu one. That is a good choice if you enjoy infiltrating more than sniping.
Before you buy a gun, look at it's certifications! Some of them can equip underbarrel shotguns, smoke launchers or even grenade launchers, most cannot. Also allways test guns before you buy!
You need to be lvl 10 before you can certificate the squad leader stuff, including the spawn beacon. You can only use the spawn beacon if you are in a squad and the squad leader. That can be a little problem if you have noone online with whom you can form a squad and need strangers to accept you as squad leader.

You can get a free 1/2 hour trial of any weapon, once every 8 hours, by going to the class loadout, weapon select, "get more" button, pick a gun, unlock, select trial, and finally equip it to a loadout. If you do this and then the server restarts 5 minutes later, you lose the trial and have to wait another 8 hours.

hmm, i did try out anti-air launcher for the heavy for 30 min. after wanting to try it few days later, the cooldown said 27days left. or is it that you mean you can use trial function once every 8hrs?

Originally Posted by Bobtree

The default enter/exit key "E" can be re-bound on air vehicles so you don't accidentally jump and plummet to your death while trying to dogfight.

Might well be widely known, but this was news to me. If you hit 'B' (Default key) while holding your Turret deployable it changes into an Ammo Box deployable which is ~equal to having 3 certs in the Ammo box and you can have both the 'normal' Ammo Box out and the 'turret' Ammo Box out. More importantly this means you can grab anti-tank mines or bettys and still have the ability to throw out Ammo for your buddies.

Might well be widely known, but this was news to me. If you hit 'B' (Default key) while holding your Turret deployable it changes into an Ammo Box deployable which is ~equal to having 3 certs in the Ammo box and you can have both the 'normal' Ammo Box out and the 'turret' Ammo Box out. More importantly this means you can grab anti-tank mines or bettys and still have the ability to throw out Ammo for your buddies.

Spotting with Q tags the enemy under your crosshair so that they are highlighted for everyone in your faction for a short period of time - both on the minimap and above their head, making it easy for allies to find and kill them. You get 10 points for spotting an enemy that is killed while highlighted, more if a squadmate kills them. You can (and should) spot vehicles & aircraft as well. Basically, if it doesn't have a friendly tag over it's head, hit Q to put an unfriendly one.

I got a ton of points last night getting a good vantage point halfway up an amp station and just spotting enemies en masse - spotting doesn't give away your position like shooting does, so you can safely help your team and earn experience without calling attention to yourself.

Note that spotting does give you away at short range, though. Enemies can overhear your shoutouts, so watch out below and behind if you're doing pure spotting.

Oh, and as for nothing changing when you press Q - spotting is a little glitchy at the moment. Sometimes markers don't show up, and sometimes there'll be lag so you need to track someone for a few seconds and keep pressing to get it done. There seems to be an intermittent issue with markers at very long ranges, too, but it's not often a big problem. It's still well worth doing though, both to help your team and piling up low-risk XP if that's your bag.

Whether you're zoomed in or not, only the units in a small radius around your crosshair are spotted.

3) Does it apply to things only in my gunsights, or anything in my field of view?

It's some area around your crosshair. It's definitely not "anything in the fov", but you don't have to aim exactly at their head. Just point in their general direction and press that good old Q-button.

4) Nothing seems to change on my screen when I hit Q - is that normal?

Nope, this is not normal. If you target an enemy with your crosshair and press Q you should see a red marker (and even hear some voice telling you about what it is you targeted). You may want to check, if you accidentally hit CTRL+I. This key combination will toggle the markers shown on your screen. At least this is what happened to me.

5) When I am zoomed in and hit Q, do only the things in my zoomed view get spotted?

Yep.

Additionally, the Q button can also be used on friends.

On Medics, it will tell them that you need healing

On Engineers, it will tell them that you need ammo or (if you're in a vehicle) repairs

On Sunderers/Galaxyies/Vehicles with more seats, it will tell them that you want to get in

You can target exactly on a friend that stands right next to you, it will open a quick menu where you can add them as a friend, send them a message or invite them to your squad (which is very useful for ad-hoc squads)

I just bought the Solstice SF for myself. I'm mostly playing LA unless engineers or medics are badly needed at the time.

I'd like to buy either the undersling grenade or smoke launcher for my new gun.
1) If I buy the smoke launcher version, do I also have to have smoke grenades unlocked?
2) Will I only be able to use the launchers if I have grenades on my loadout and will each shot count as using my grenade? In other words, if I get the regular grenade launcher, do I get that and my thrown grenade?
3) What are peoples opinions on scopes for mid range encounters?

Finally, can you set the gun to be burst shot by default? I bought it mainly for it's upgrades and the fact it can switch modes, but every time I spawn it resets to full auto, which I dislike.

1) and 2): No, both launchers basically act as an additional weapon in the field. They have a clip size of 1 and one additional clip.
They are completely independend of whatever grenades to throw you carry.
You do not need to purchase the launcher grenades with ressources and you can even restock them from engi ammo packs. However, that sometimes seems to not work for me. Most of the time, it does though. I believe it works only a limited amount of times per whatever from own ammo packs. Not sure though, might just be lag or a bug.

Well, my answer to 3) stands: I love the 2x reflex sight. IR is too short range in many cases for me and i just hate how scopes obstruct my vision of the battlefield. Also, with everthing 4x or higher, i tend to not hit anything in close quarters.

And i do not believe there is a way to set the SF to burst on default.

I tried with both packs and both seemed to work sometimes and sometimes not. I admit, i did not invest too much time in this. So far other peoples ammo packs have allways worked and i hardly ever needed a smoke grenade without other people or an infantry station around.